Primula caveana W. W. Sm.

Herbs perennial, with a short rhizome, covered with withered leaves. Leaves forming a rosette; petiole nearly as long as to 2--3 X as long as leaf blade, dilated and sheathing at base; leaf blade oblong to elliptic or obovate to suborbicular, 1--8 X 1--2.5 cm, abaxially copiously white farinose, adaxially densely glandular puberulous, base attenuate or abruptly constricted and short decurrent, deeply dentate, apex rounded. Scapes 2--12 cm, sparsely glandular; umbels 1--9-flowered; bracts linear to linear-lanceolate, 0.7--1.5 cm, farinose. Pedicel 1--2 cm, elongating to 4 cm in fruit, white farinose. Flowers heterostylous. Calyx tubular to tubular-campanulate, (5--)6--11 mm, white farinose, parted to 2/3 or below; lobes linear-lanceolate to narrowly oblong, apex acute to obtuse, rarely dentate. Corolla pale purple; tube (0.7--)0.9--1.3 cm; limb ca. 1.5 cm wide; lobes broadly obovate to suborbicular, margin entire to erose-crenulate. Pin flowers: stamens 3.5--4 mm above base of corolla tube; style ca. as long as tube. Thrum flowers: stamens 7--8 mm above base of corolla tube; style reaching middle of tube. Capsule globose, included in calyx. Fl. Jun.

Himalaya (Nepal to Bhutan), S.E. Tibet.

S Xizang [Bhutan, NE India, Nepal, Sikkim].

4600-5700 m

In shaded rock crevices; 4800--5000 m.

Primula cana I. B. Balfour & Cave; P. younghusbandiana I. B. Balfour.